Dogsledding and diving in Greenland

13 May 2015

SuuntoDive

Dogsledding and diving in Greenland

13 May 2015

It was a unique coming together of western explorers, locals and traditional hunter-fishermen. Four members of the Under the Pole expedition team, five young Inuit from the Uummannaq Children’s Home and two accompanying teachers were guided by Inuit hunter-fishermen on a 600 km dogsled adventure beyond Greenland's northern most territories.

They learned how to manage a dogsled pack, how to go fishing on the ice to catch a feed for the pack, how to create a warm tent with reindeer skins and even a Greenlandic card game or two. The team, in return, guided the Inuit on their first ever dives beneath the ice.

Poor weather and a lack of snow this winter, however, nearly scuttled this last stage of the expedition. Exposed surface ice is abrasive to the dogs’ legs. Too little snow also means a lack of an easy water source. Fortunately conditions improved and the party set off north into the magical landscape between mountains and ocean.

They traveled by dogsled for eight days, sleeping in hunting cabins or in tents on the ice, learning about traditional Inuit ways.